Passive temperature compensation technique for MEMS devices

1. A system for providing a passive temperature compensation technique to a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) gyroscope, comprising in combination: a MEMS gyroscope having an uncompensated sense output that is sensitive to temperature changes, wherein the uncompensated sense output is a voltage output; a circuit coupled to the MEMS gyroscope, wherein the circuit includes a diode having an associated voltage drop, and wherein the diode has a temperature dependency that is substantially the same as the uncompensated sense output of the MEMS gyroscope; and a compensated sense output formed by combining the uncompensated sense output of the MEMS gyroscope and a diode output associated with the voltage drop of the diode.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the voltage drop across the at least one diode is amplified by at least one operational amplifier and converted to the diode output.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the MEMS gyroscope comprises a proof mass that oscillates in response to a drive signal.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein a Coriolis acceleration is generated in response to a rotation of the MEMS gyroscope, and the Coriolis acceleration is utilized for measuring a rate of rotation of the MEMS gyroscope.

5. The system of claim 3 , wherein a change in capacitance between the proof mass and a sense plate generates a sense signal.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the sense signal is converted to the uncompensated sense output.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein a sense processing unit demodulates and filters the sense signal to form the uncompensated sense output.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the amplitude of the sense signal determines the uncompensated sense output.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising a summing junction, wherein the summing junction combines the uncompensated sense output with the diode output to form the compensated sense output.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the summing junction comprises an operational amplifier.

11. A system for providing a passive temperature compensation technique to a MEMS gyroscope, comprising in combination: the MEMS gyroscope providing a sense signal that is sensitive to temperature changes; a sense processing unit coupled to the MEMS gyroscope operable to convert the sense signal into an uncompensated sense output, wherein the uncompensated sense output is a DC voltage signal; at least one diode having a voltage drop, wherein the diode has a temperature dependency that is substantially the same as the uncompensated sense output; at least one operational amplifier operable to amplify the voltage drop of a diode output; and a summing junction operable to combine the diode output with the uncompensated sense output to form a compensated sense output.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the sense processing unit amplifies, demodulates, and filters the sense signal to form the uncompensated sense output.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the MEMS gyroscope comprises a proof mass and a sense plate, and a change in capacitance between the proof mass and the sense plate generates the sense signal.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the compensated sense output is used to calculate a Coriolis acceleration of the proof mass, and the Coriolis acceleration is used with a drive velocity of the proof mass to calculate a rate of rotation of the MEMS gyroscope.